DNA ploidy patterns in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade III, with and without synchronous invasive squamous cell carcinoma: Measurements in nuclei isolated from paraffin-embedded tissue

Abstract

This study presents the results of cytophotometric (CPM) and flow cytometric (FCM) DNA ploidy measurements in cervical intraepithelial neoplasias grade III (CIN III) with and without synchronous invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Hysterectomy and biopsy material from 21 patients 35 years of age or younger and from 18 patients age 50 years or older was studied. The DNA analysis was performed in nuclei isolated from specific areas of paraffin-embedded tissue. There were significant differences in the distribution of DNA patterns between the two age groups. About 80% of CIN III lesions in women 50 years of age or older, with or without a coexisting invasive cancer were aneuploid. In the group of younger women a diploid DNA pattern was found in about 60% of CIN III with concomitant invasive cancer. In the absence of an invasive cancer, CIN III lesions were mostly polyploid. The DNA pattern of invasive cancers was generally identical with the adjacent CIN, thus suggesting that the two lesions were related. Although the prognostic value of DNA ploidy measurements in cervical intraepithelial lesions in women in these two age groups has to be further evaluated, these results are at considerable variance with previously published data on DNA values in CIN and invasive carcinoma. In four CIN III lesions without invasive cancer, in women of the group of 35 years of age or younger, human papilloma virus common antigen could be demonstrated by immunochemical procedure. In three of these cases a polyploid DNA pattern was present; the fourth case showed a bimodal aneuploid pattern.